Mxene and GaIn Alloy\nNanostructures Regulate Zn Surface\nIon Deposition for High-Performance Zinc-Ion Battery

Zinc is an ideal energy storage material because of its\nlow toxicity,\nnonflammability, and good biocompatibility. However, the commercial\napplication is seriously hindered due to problems such as dendrite\ngrowth, hydrogen evolution, and interface passivation caused by “dead\nzinc” in the process of cyclic deposition. Herein, a nanoscale\ndeposition dispersion model is designed in order to achieve directional\ndeposition and uniform distribution of zinc ions for the growth of\ninterfacial dendrites. Liquid metal GaIn was combined with Mxene for\nthis nanostructure, which provides a rapid ion transfer channel to\nachieve lower overpotentials, a more uniform electric field distribution,\nand stronger corrosion resistance in a core–shell structure\nto achieve interface reaction suppression. The material was coated\non the surface of the zinc metal as an artificial protective layer.\nIt has a better cycle life at 1 mA·cm<sup>–2</sup> compared\nwith the bare Zn metal anode, achieving a long cycle time of 1100\nh and an ultralow voltage lag (28.1 mV). It maintains the stability\nfor 1000 cycles at 1 mA·cm<sup>–2</sup> after assembling\nthe complete battery. This provides a way to improve the performance\nof zinc-ion secondary batteries and paves the way for the next generation\nof energy storage devices.